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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: branch · wound · rash · coach · charge · can · capital · chest

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wound — an injury
  4. charge — in control
  5. rash — a series
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. rash — hasty
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wound — an injury
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. chest — a box
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. charge — a price
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chest — of your body
  17. capital — money
  18. can — a tin
  19. charge — electricity
  20. can — a tin
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com